Double Bass During The Romantic Era
The Double Bass:
From the Classical to Romantic Eras
The basic outline of the double bass during the late 18th century remains fairly consistent with only minor changes. In England and Italy the three string bass was in use, tuned A- D- G and in Germany the four string bass was in use. The standard tuning for the four string bass is given in the 1770 pamphlet Principi di Musica, which reveals the modern day intervals of E- A- D- G. By 1800, the tuning machine head is present, the neck is fretless, the fingerboard is lengthened, and the bridge is raised with a stronger curved enabling more forceful pressure on each individual string. In Paris, the French bow is perfected and standardized by François Tourte. He establishes dimensions, perfects …show more content…
Before the classical era very few compositions for solo bass existed. “The earliest known works for a solo double bass instrument are the sonatas composed by, or for, Giovannino Violone…from about 1690. No solo music is known from the 18th century until Haydn’s symphonies of the 1760’s; then in the four years from 1765, no fewer than 28 concertos appeared.” One of the earliest works for virtuoso solo bass to appear in print in the 19th century is Mozart’s aria Por Questa Bella Mano (1822). The increasing popularity of the double bass in this era gave rise to virtuosos like Josef Kampfer (1735- 1788), Johannes Sperger (1750- 1812), Domenico Drogonetti (1763 – 1846) who begin to dominate the musical scene. Kampfer was an extremely popular Hungarian virtuoso who toured Europe during the end of the 18th century, who was said to have impressed Haydn with his talents. Johannes Sperger was a composer as well as a bass virtuoso. His Compositions, among arias, several concertos, and quartets, include 18 concertos for solo bass. As a player Sperger preferred the five string bass which he would tune in various ways. Of the early classical virtuosos perhaps the most prominent is Dragonetti, who contributed much to the instruments popularity and
From the Classical to Romantic Eras
The basic outline of the double bass during the late 18th century remains fairly consistent with only minor changes. In England and Italy the three string bass was in use, tuned A- D- G and in Germany the four string bass was in use. The standard tuning for the four string bass is given in the 1770 pamphlet Principi di Musica, which reveals the modern day intervals of E- A- D- G. By 1800, the tuning machine head is present, the neck is fretless, the fingerboard is lengthened, and the bridge is raised with a stronger curved enabling more forceful pressure on each individual string. In Paris, the French bow is perfected and standardized by François Tourte. He establishes dimensions, perfects …show more content…
Before the classical era very few compositions for solo bass existed. “The earliest known works for a solo double bass instrument are the sonatas composed by, or for, Giovannino Violone…from about 1690. No solo music is known from the 18th century until Haydn’s symphonies of the 1760’s; then in the four years from 1765, no fewer than 28 concertos appeared.” One of the earliest works for virtuoso solo bass to appear in print in the 19th century is Mozart’s aria Por Questa Bella Mano (1822). The increasing popularity of the double bass in this era gave rise to virtuosos like Josef Kampfer (1735- 1788), Johannes Sperger (1750- 1812), Domenico Drogonetti (1763 – 1846) who begin to dominate the musical scene. Kampfer was an extremely popular Hungarian virtuoso who toured Europe during the end of the 18th century, who was said to have impressed Haydn with his talents. Johannes Sperger was a composer as well as a bass virtuoso. His Compositions, among arias, several concertos, and quartets, include 18 concertos for solo bass. As a player Sperger preferred the five string bass which he would tune in various ways. Of the early classical virtuosos perhaps the most prominent is Dragonetti, who contributed much to the instruments popularity and